Three Men Arrested After Climbing to the Top of the AT&T Building Sunday Afternoon

Three out-of-state men who made their way to the top of the AT&T Building, Tennessee's tallest, after entering through what they claimed was an unsecured door Sunday afternoon now find themselves facing aggravated trespassing and disorderly conduct charges.

An alert citizen on Broadway called 911 at 4:40 p.m. Sunday after looking at the top of the building and noticing three men, who appeared suspicious, at the top. Responding Central Precinct officers, using binoculars, saw one of the men adjacent to a spire of the building and later saw another lying down on the circular AT&T logo. Officers entered the building and headed to the roof, but neither they nor a police helicopter crew saw the individuals there. That meant a floor-to-floor search of the building was in order. When an officer ultimately made it to a men's restroom on the 24th floor just before 6:30 p.m., she found the three hiding together in a locked stall. The officer, at gunpoint, ordered them to show their hands under the door of the stall. The three complied and were taken into custody.

Arrested were Jacob Thomas Cieszynski, 26, of Chicago, Chase Cooper Lester, 26, of Culloden, Georgia, and Ryan James McGarrity, 20, of Laguna Woods, California. In addition to aggravated trespassing and disorderly conduct, Lester is also charged with possessing burglary tools after a crowbar and a screwdriver were found in his backpack.
Officers seized several cameras from the three, including a GoPro.
One of the men told officers that they had heard the AT&T Building was the best place to get a view of Nashville, so they entered and climbed the stairs to the roof.

This case is a prime example of an alert citizen SEEING SOMETHING suspicious and SAYING SOMETHING to authorities. We all benefit by each another's vigilance.